Cold War Constructions: The Political Culture of United States Imperialism, 1945-1966 (Culture, Politics, and the Cold War)

The end of the Cold War has inspired a wave of exciting new scholarship about the central international struggle in the decades following World War II. Dissatisfied with traditional diplomatic and military interpretations, historians have begun to investigate the crucial role that political culture played in shaping global conflicts. Cold War Constructions contributes to this reappraisal by illuminating the political and cultural assumptions underlying U.S. policies from the end of World War II to the mid-1960s. How were Cold War ideas and events shaped by American culture? How were they explained and promoted at home and around the world? And how did they vary from one geographical context to another? These are among the questions addressed in this collection of original essays. Each contributor focuses on a specific site of Cold War contestationSoutheast Asia, India, Europe, Africa, Iran, Guatemala, and Cubaand analyzes the impact of domestic political culture on that particular conflict. Cultural attitudes, practices, and values are examined through a range of topics and sources, from travel literature and Broadway musicals to philanthropic organizations and Time magazine. Together the essays shed new light on such major Cold War events as the Cuban Revolution, the CIA overthrow of governments in Iran and Guatemala, and the United States intervention in Vietnam. Contributors include Christian G. Appy, Mark Bradley, James T. Fisher, John Foran, Kevin Gaines, Van Gosse, Christina Klein, Jonathan Nashel, Andrew J. Rotter, Penny M. Von Eschen, and Wendy Wall. Introduction: Struggling For The World / Christian G. Appy -- Slouching Toward Bethlehem: Culture, Diplomacy, And The Origins Of The Cold War In Vietnam / Mark Bradley -- Family Ties And Political Obligation: The Discourse Of Adoption And The Cold War Commitment To Asia / Christina Klein -- Feeding Beggars: Class, Caste, And Status In Indo-u.s. Relations, 1947-1964 / Andrew J. Rotter -- America's Best Propagandists: Italian Americans And The 1948 Letters To Italy Campaign / Wendy L. Wall -- Who's The Real Ambassador? Exploding Cold War Racial Ideology / Penny M. Von Eschen -- The Road To Vietnam: Modernization Theory In Fact And Fiction / Jonathan Nashel -- Discursive Subversions: Time Magazine, The Cia Overthrow Of Musaddiq, And The Installation Of The Shah / John Foran -- Eisenhower's Guatemalan Doodle, Or: How To Draw, Deny, And Take Credit For A Third World Coup / Christian G. Appy -- A World Made Safe For Diversity: The Vietnam Lobby And The Politics Of Pluralism, 1945-1963 / James T. Fisher -- We Are All Highly Adventurous: Fidel Castro And The Romance Of The White Guerrilla, 1957-1958 / Van Gosse -- From Black Power To Civil Rights: Julian Mayfield And African American Expatriates In Nkrumah's Ghana, 1957-1966 / Kevin Gaines. Edited By Christian G. Appy. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 271-330) And Index. Dissatisfied with traditional diplomatic and military interpretations, historians have been investigating the role that political culture played in shaping global conflicts. This text illuminates the political and cultural assumptions underlying US policies from World War II to the mid-1960s.